Russian former journalist on trial for alleged treason

MOSCOW (AP) — A Moscow court is hearing the trial of a former journalist who has been held on charges of passing military secrets to Czech intelligence, accusations that he and many of his colleagues have rejected as absurd. Ivan Safronov, who had written about military and security issues for a decade before becoming an adviser to Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin, has remained in custody since his July 2020 arrest in Moscow by agents of the Federal Security Service (FSB), the primary successor to the KGB. Speaking to reporters before Monday’s start of his trial, Safronov insisted on his innocence and rejected the accusations as “nonsense.” He may face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.